OPINION – We typically associate buyer’s remorse with a sense of regret that a person feels after making a purchase. This shame often stems from the lingering sense of having been taken advantage of by the seller.

This kind of regret can also take place in settings that aren’t strictly economic. It can also happen in personal relationships and in politics.

Buyer’s remorse should be treated as a learning opportunity.

For instance, suppose a particular candidate campaigned for president on the promise that America was done with being the world’s policeman. What if this candidate committed to the voters that our military would only be used to defend our own country or our closest allies?

Like it or not, this is one of the primary reasons Donald Trump was elected last November, to the consternation of establishment hawks. He promised to put America’s interests first.

I can’t help but wonder how many of his most passionate supporters are experiencing buyer’s remorse, now that the president has fallen into lockstep with the establishment’s foreign policy wing by attacking Syria.

Their elation that things were finally going to change at the highest levels of American government is not squaring with reality. They got suckered into a knee-jerk response, and they’re not happy about it.

My goal here isn’t to rub their noses in it. A surprising number have been very forthright in expressing their dismay at how quickly their candidate was assimilated into the Borg mentality of Washington D.C.

This is a prime opportunity to recognize a couple of unpopular truths that might have spared a lot of people the current regret they’re feeling.

The first truth is that most of what we are fed through our mass media is not a reflection of the way things really are. There is nothing weird or shameful about refusing to accept what the media or various politicians are telling us.

Anyone who is serious about not becoming a willing dupe must accept the fact that independence of mind is the essential antidote to deception. Writer Paul Johnson had some worthwhile suggestions for what this kind of independence is like.

We must be willing to treat current consensus with skepticism and to think things through for ourselves.

This can mean ignoring or rejecting whatever the media is throwing at us so long as we remain convinced that we are doing right.

This doesn’t mean we arrogantly suppose that we alone have all the answers. It means we understand that the self-righteous rush to judgment by mass media and the U.S. government was not predicated on truth.

The facts don’t matter. They didn’t matter when Bush said Hussein was building nuclear weapons and they didn’t matter when LBJ said our boys were being attacked in international waters at the Gulf of Tonkin. They simply don’t play in these exchanges.

Too many things that have been stated as facts remain unknown and unknowable by our leaders and our media. That’s a pretty poor foundation upon which to base an act of war against a nation that has not materially harmed the U.S. in any way.

By refusing to accept at face value whatever narrative is being peddled by the D.C. establishment and its media, we don’t risk basing our worldview on calculated falsehoods.

The second unpopular truth that could spare us buyer’s remorse is the recognition that the rot that permeates Washington D.C. is systemic. Changing a few faces and names here and there is not going to change the nature of the beast.

The charade lasted for a few weeks, but in the end, the new boss turned out to be same as the old boss. Never forget that bitter taste in your mouth as the next federal elections approach.

If we’re serious about using our influence to create better, more responsive public policy, we should forget about the Beltway and start focusing on our state and local governance.

The reason our influence matters more as our focus becomes more local can be summed up by accountability. Bureaucrats who live half a continent away and are focused primarily on consolidating and perpetuating their own power don’t care what you have say.

On the other hand, your neighbor on the city council or the state representative whose kids go to school with your kids, these are generally people who don’t require that you bring a check when visiting their office.

You may not get your way in every local or state matter, but current efforts to influence Washington are wasted.

Instead of treating our national government and media as if they represent the only things that matter, we should relegate them to obscurity in every possible way.

We may just find that the things that really matter were much closer to us than we realized.

Bryan Hyde is an opinion columnist specializing in current events viewed through the lens of common sense. The opinions stated in this article are his and not representative of St. George News.

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About the Author

Bryan Hyde is a husband, father, teacher, writer, speaker of truth, and a disciple of liberty. He has been a steady voice of reason with a radio career that spans more than 3 decades and is host of the daily "Loving Liberty with Bryan Hyde" broadcast weekday mornings on the Loving Liberty Radio Network. He also co-hosts the "Society and the State" podcast.
The opinions stated in this article are Hyde's own and may not be representative of St. George News.

15 Comments

I disagree. President Trump threw a stick of dynamite at a bully who was causing a scene with chemical weapons… It was simply a wake up call to knock it off. No one declared war or decided to take over Syria. And Trump did say he was going to get rid of ISIS. If President Trump is unable to fulfill all his campaign promises, it will be because our Republican Congress has no idea how to make a usable health care plan, no idea how to balance a budget except to take away humane and civilized services, no idea how to repair infrastructure in a cost effective manner, no desire to control pollution, no real desire to do anything, actually, except get re-elected and free business to charge whatever they can milk out of the public with little regulation and under the pretense that competition fosters reduced prices and a healthier economy. If that were true, Sears and Penneys who constantly have everything on sale, would not be struggling so badly, and people wouldn’t buy non food items from grocery stores that are much more expensive than a big box, and medical insurance wouldn’t have gone through the roof BEFORE Obamacare, which instigated his election to provide affordable health care (which then backfired and doubled the premiums). As long as money and power are more important than humanity and equality, nothing will ever be right with the world, no matter who is President.

“Republican Congress has no idea how to make a usable health care plan, no idea how to balance a budget except to take away humane and civilized services, no idea how to repair infrastructure in a cost effective manner, no desire to control pollution, no real desire to do anything, actually, except get re-elected and free business to charge whatever they can milk out of the public with little regulation”

Yep, that sounds like typical republicans. You have a lot more faith in ‘the donald’ than i do at this point.

The main reason I didn’t vote for ‘the donald’ was I figured he’s just sink to the level of typical neo-con republican politics. He doesn’t have the experience, knowledge, or probably even the will to change things for the better in DC. I predict 4 years of total buffoonery and playing the role of the obedient little neo-con head puppet, similar to Bush II. Hyde is spot on, all you Trumpites been fooled by the egomaniac buffoon. I was a little hopeful at first so to some extent I been fooled as well.

Whatever you think about Trump, Hillary would have been worse. It really doesn’t matter who’s President when corruption is at every level of government and they protect eachother to “keep their job” at the expense of the civilians life and liberty. Some of them leave their job because they can’t handle hurting people, but the lifers are in it to win it and any cost! I love Trump! I love his arrogance! I love his will to stand up against the masses! Trump for 8 years!

Come on Bob, it’s just part of the master plan of the ZOG (Zionist Occupation Government). The Israelis staged the chemical attack to make it look like it was done by the Syrian government, a client of Russia. They knew that Trump would order a response that would double cross Russia, which stole the presidential election from Hillary. Israel will soon occupy Syria and the rest of the Middle East, along with controlling the world’s banking system. ZOG, the Trilateral Commission, and the Illuminati are taking over the world, and it makes me made as hell! Can I have another drink your koolaid, Bob?

Nope, doesn’t even take a ZOG conspiracy for this one. As soon as ‘the donald’ started “collaborating” with paul ryan on healthcare I new this donald was gonna be bad news. Fact is he doesn’t know politics, and he’s gonna let the neo-con scumbags take charge–maybe you love neo-con policies. Anyone with a brain can see that the neo-con’s intentions are far from serving the public good.

You’re right Bob. Between Trump starting World War 3 in Syria and having people die in the street from the upcoming health care changes, we’re hosed. Where’s David Koresh or Jim Jones when you need them?

commentsApril 11, 2017 at 10:44 am

Now you’re delving into cults or what? You need to face reality, and just accept that this donald spewed a bunch of bs and false promises to get elected. All you Trumpites need to face the facts. Let’s all just hope this donald can be thrown the hell out after 4 years.

We all have our own reasons for what paths we take. I agree with the ‘keep your own local backyard livable before you concentrate on your neighbors plot’, his pocketbook, or his ideas. What you point out this day Bryan, is what anybody should be thinking. Will Trump get us back to America First? Don’t know. Let’s see what he can do over the next 70 days. Till then, Washington County,, your on notice!

So, Comments what have the Dems done to solve the health insurance crisis they created?
Or, ISIS which evolved under their watch? Or the horrific civil war in Syia? In fact, what have they done except obstruct and resist. Trump has accomplished more (under-reported) in three months than Obama screwed up in 8 years. Ask the NY Stock exchange, employment figures, military morale, etc.

You think in black and white, a bit like henry up there. The dems left lots of disappointments. But then you see neo-con policy in action and it just ends up being far worse than the dems. I don’t know who’s instilled in u the idea that the stock exchanges are such a wonderful indicator of thing actually are as far as economics. Stocks were high before the crash in ’08–maybe you’re too young to remember. If u can’t come up with better arguments I’ll put u on ignore.